Peugeot driver Duval warns against axing LMP2 class from WEC
Peugeot star Loic Duval feels it would be unwise to phase out the LMP2 class from the FIA World Endurance Championship to accommodate a larger Hypercar field in the coming years.


The future of LMP2 cars in the WEC appears to be in doubt, with it being speculated that they will not be allowed to enter any race other than the Le Mans 24 Hours from 2024.
With the Hypercar class expected to attract nearly 20 entries, and a new division for GT3 likewise expected to feature a bumper grid, there is unlikely to be enough space for a secondary prototype category at the regular WEC rounds that make up the bulk of the calendar.
Duval spent a number of years in the LMP2 ranks following Audi’s withdrawal from LMP1 at the end of the 2016 season and he feels the importance of the category should not be underestimated.
The Frenchman pointed to the role LMP2 played during what was a lean patch for WEC in the last few years, and wonders what will happen if manufacturers depart the Hypercar class and leave empty slots on the grid again.
“We have to be careful because [while] it's nice to have the momentum with the top category and the constructors, we should not forget that when the constructors weren't here the last few years the championship was happy to have so many LMP2 cars,” Duval told Autosport.
“So it's always a trend and you always have to balance between the top category and the others.
“But I also believe that [for] the DNA of endurance racing and Le Mans, you need private teams, you need gentleman drivers and stuff like that.
“We should never forget that it's a must to have them, with good quantity and good quality.
“In the future if you lose again some constructors then you will call them [LMP2] back.”

#70 Realteam Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson: Esteban Garcia, Loic Duval, Norman Nato
Photo by: Alessio Morgese
Asked further if he wouldn’t be happy if WEC switched to a two-class structure for 2024 comprising Hypercar and the new LMGT3 category, Duval stressed that the main priority should be to ensure gentleman drivers and independent outfits can continue racing in the championship in years to come.
“As long as you have private teams and as long as you have amateurs, I'm happy whatever the categories they put in,” he said.
“I don't want that, suddenly because there are a lot of constructors that it is only about pro racing drivers and constructors, nothing about the rest.
“I think the mix is really important. Whatever the category is, GT, but there is Pro-Am and stuff like that, then it is fine. It is important to keep the DNA of the championship.”
Duval’s former Audi LMP1 team-mate Oliver Jarvis continues to race in WEC’s LMP2 class and was part of the Jackie Chan DC Racing crew that finished second overall at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2017 in an Oreca P2 car.
Naturally a big fan of the category, Jarvis highlighted that the run-of-the-mill LMP2 cars are so quick that they had to be slowed down artificially to ensure they do not mix with much more expensive LMDh and LMH cars.
“It depends on what point of view you look at it,” Jarvis told Autosport. “If it happens it is purely out of grid numbers and necessity.
“But it would be a shame from my point of view. I think LMP2 is a fantastic class, it's an incredible car.
“We've had to detune it because of the hypercar. So if you look at it that you can buy that car for the amount of money you can and essentially it's quicker than a hypercar, it's just an incredible car.
“If they do phase LMP2 out in WEC, I really hope that they push it for ELMS and guarantee at least 10 grid slots for Le Mans. That would be my hope to keep LMP2 alive because I feel there is a marketplace for it.”

#23 United Autosports USA Oreca 07 - Gibson LMP2: Alexander Lynn, Oliver Jarvis, Joshua Pierson
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
Alpine driver Nicolas Lapierre is expected to compete in the LMP2 category next year before the French manufacturer returns to the top class in 2024 with an LMDh car built in conjunction with Oreca.
Lapierre offered a different view on the LMP2 situation, stating that one must focus on the increased manufacturer participation in the Hypercar class rather than the impact it will have elsewhere on the grid.
“Most important for me is that it is great to see the success in the top category in the Hypercar,” Lapierre told Autosport.
“Then obviously you cannot expand the grid and that will do some damage for sure. And LMP2 for sure will be the category to suffer that damage from 2024, but that is for good reason.
“If the field is full of manufacturers in LMDh and [Le Mans] Hypercar, it's great for the championship, it's great for drivers, great for mechanics, engineers and fans. So it's all going in the right direction.
“For sure there will be some damage to LMP2. But that's part of it and we have to accept it.”

Sebring could retain place on WEC calendar despite Qatar opening season
United Autosports signs Hanley as Albuquerque WEC stand-in

Latest news
Bathurst 12 Hour: Van Gisbergen Mercedes leads after first quarter
Shane van Gisbergen’s Triple Eight Mercedes headed Matt Campbell’s Manthey Porsche after three hours of racing at Mount Panorama in the Bathurst 12 Hour.
Tanak scores first Puma win in preparation for WRC Rally Sweden
Ott Tanak claimed his first victory driving an M-Sport Ford Puma after winning the Otepaa Winter Rally in preparation for next week’s World Rally Championship round in Sweden.
Ranking the worst Formula 1 cars to win a grand prix
Cars that rarely looked like contenders for victory have occasionally slipped through the net to become winners of world championship Formula 1 races. But which was the worst of the bunch?
Schumacher radio criticism highlighted F1 privacy change for Russell
George Russell says that the way an off-the-cuff radio remark criticising Mick Schumacher last year became a big deal shows how he is more under the spotlight in Formula 1.
Why the WEC should make space for modern garagistes in 2023
OPINION: There is plenty of excitement over the glut of manufacturers tackling the Hypercar class of the World Endurance Championship this season. The selection committee is set to face headaches over who it decides to admit and who gets turned away from the 2023 entry list, but history tells us that the smaller entrants have a place
Autosport writers' most memorable moments of 2022
The season just gone was a memorable one for many of our staff writers, who are fortunate enough to cover motorsport around the world. Here are our picks of the best (and in some cases, most eventful) from 2022
Is Qatar the price motorsport fans have to pay?
OPINION: Fresh from hosting a controversial 2022 football World Cup, Qatar has added its name to the 2024 World Endurance Championship calendar. Although questions may be asked about its presence on the calendar, is it simply the price to pay for having a healthy racing championship?
How Toyota defeated Alpine for the 2022 WEC title
Toyota #8 trio Brendon Hartley, Sebastien Buemi and Ryo Hirakawa outscored their rivals in the last season before the World Endurance Championship’s top class gets ultra-competitive. Here's how their Hypercar battle with Alpine and the remaining class tussles played out in LMP2, GTE Pro and GTE Am
The long road to convergence for sportscar racing's new golden age
The organisers of the World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship worked together to devise the popular new LMDh rule set. But to turn it from an idea into reality, some serious compromises were involved - both from the prospective LMDh entrants and those with existing Le Mans Hypercar projects...
How Porsche's Le Mans legend changed the game
The 956 set the bar at the dawn of Group C 40 years ago, and that mark only rose higher through the 1980s, both in the world championship and in the US. It and its successor, the longer-wheelbase 962, were voted as Autosport's greatest sportscar in 2020 - here's why
Why BMW shouldn't be overlooked on its return to prototypes
OPINION: While the focus has been on the exciting prospect of Ferrari vs Porsche at the Le Mans 24 Hours next year, BMW’s factory return to endurance racing should not be ignored. It won't be at the French classic next year as it focuses efforts on the IMSA SportsCar Championship, but could be a dark horse in 2024 when it returns to La Sarthe with the crack WRT squad
The problem sausage kerbs continue to cause
Track limits are the problem that motorsport doesn't seem to be able to rid itself of. But the use of so-called 'sausage kerbs' as a deterrent has in several instances only served to worsen the problem, and a growing number of voices want to see action taken
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.